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Opinion: Guest Opinions

Diana Caile: Visionary foresight needed for Boulder of tomorrow

By Diana Caile

Posted:
04/15/2017 07:35:35 PM MDT

George Beckwith, left, with the University of Colorado Air Force ROTC, makes a measurement mark as he works with Dave Compton of Flatirons Habitat for Humanity at the Wonderland Creek housing development in March. Affordable housing is required to allow diversity in Boulder, the author writes. 2017 (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff Flynn's assessment of Boulder's growth issues and that how we shape it is of utmost importance ( "Councilman Brockett's false premise on planning," Daily Camera, March 16). I'd add that there is an urgency, however, as Boulder is experiencing a growth boom and the future of our city is being shaped now.

We have a housing crisis in Boulder (and throughout Boulder County) with skyrocketing property values and rents and a rapid loss of middle-income and workforce housing, and thus our friends and neighbors who can't afford to live here anymore. We are at a tipping point as a community and this issue needs immediate attention, foresight, vision and action.

Will our elders be able to age in place or will they be forced out of their homes because they can't afford the exorbitant property taxes? Will our children and grandchildren be able to stay in their community and provide the same quality of life for their children and grandchildren, or will they be priced out? Will our relatives, friends and neighbors who are single parents, students, artists, teachers, first responders, really any middle-income households on down, be squeezed out, unraveling the social fabric of our community?

What is the character we want to preserve? There is the character of our natural environment, the built environment and the social fabric. The thing that makes up the character of a community most is its people. Not only do we value diversity as a community, a cross-section of demographics is vital for a long-term, thriving economy and community.

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As stewards of this place we are blessed to call home, at this crossroads in time, what is our vision of Boulder's future and how do we get there? Boulder has always been a desirable place to live and today jobs are booming, demand for housing is historically high, and developers see opportunity. The market left to its own devices is turning Boulder into an enclave for the very wealthy only.

I grew up in Boulder. My children were born and raised on generations of roots here. To be honest, I used to be one of those people derided as wanting to preserve Boulder in amber, a NIMBY...oh my! I would even love to go back 20 years. That's when Boulder really started to morph from a town into a city.

Alas, the morphing continues and growth is booming. Now I'm concerned about being able to stay in Boulder myself, and for my children who are older now. We are in this together and need to engage in this issue as a community. Dismissing our neighbors with derogatory labels is not helpful.

Affordability is constrained by many factors: open space; our jobs-housing imbalance (that continues to widen), a booming economy, and high desirability, demand, and in-migration. It was visionary foresight from our city forebears that created the incredible quality of life we enjoy today, and it's going to take visionary foresight from the citizens of Boulder and our elected officials today to protect quality of life for all to enjoy in the Boulder of tomorrow.

Mr. Flynn is correct, simply building more housing does not translate to affordable housing. In fact, it translates to more expensive housing. It's going to take the will of the community and political pressure to demand that our elected officials craft policies to preserve, retrofit and develop permanently price-restricted middle-income and workforce housing, as well as good neighbors in the development sector who value and prioritize a long-term healthy community over short-term maximum profit.

We can preserve the character of Boulder's existing neighborhoods while also preserving and creating innovative housing for middle-income and workforce households. New, higher density, price-restricted housing in parts of Boulder, such as currently commercial/industrial zoned areas in east Boulder that are ripe for redevelopment, makes sense — and doesn't block the quickly fading views. Granny flats in existing neighborhoods make sense, too — for homeowners who can bring a family member to live with them or get rental income, and renters alike.

I came to the conclusion that like it or not, Boulder is growing and changing. What kind of community do we want to become and what do we have to do to get there? The tipping point is now.

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